KUALA LUMPUR, 1 Oct – It is the beginning of a new journey for national hockey head coach A. Arulselvaraj when he named a 38-player squad on Thursday – picked after the end of the recent Razak Cup competition at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
The Johor-born Arul who took over the hot seat from Roelant Oltmans when the Dutchman quit the team following Malaysia’s failure to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics is starting afresh to breathe new life into the game.
Swelling the training squad to 38 players gives Arul ”more options” when he trims the squad to 25 players.
More importantly, it will keep everyone in the training squad on their toes as Arul is looking at more than hockey skills.
“To be in my team the players will have to make a lot of personal ‘sacrifices’ which also includes family and friends. Discipline on and off the pitch is demanded. I have been given the mandate to rebuild the national hockey team.
“That journey begins now. New names have been included. Those who were dropped from the national team before will now get the chance to redeem their shortcomings. I have my own criteria when it came to selecting the players.
”Commitment, desire and hard work must be second to none,” said the Johor-born Arul who has given the Saari brothers Faizal (forward) and Fitri (midfield) a chance to win back their places in the team.
Another player who did not play in the Razak Cup due to a personal tragedy just before the tournament started – losing his two-year-old daughter Nur Ayra Delisha – pulled out from the Terengganu team to be with his wife who is expecting the couple’s second child.
Firhan, a forward, is described by Arul as a “good hockey player” who can still fight for his place in the team.
With 185 international caps to his credit, Firhan is an asset to Malaysian hockey as the team prepares for the Asian Champions Trophy now rescheduled to be held from March 11-19 2021 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Kuala Lumpur has the biggest number of players in the training squad with seven. Two of the KL players who have got the nod are Pavandip Singh and Harvinder Singh, both midfielders.
Razak Cup champions Perak and runners-up Terengganu, have six players each while Pahang has three players. Police, Perlis, Negri Sembilan, Sabah, and Johor have two players each while Selangor and Penang have one each.
THE TRAINING SQUAD:
- MUHAMMAD ZAIMI B. MAT DERIS (TRG)
2. ADRIAN ANDY ALBERT (SAB)
3. MOHAMMAD HAIRI B. ABDUL RAHMAN (JOH)
4. * MUHAMMAD HAFIZUDDIN B. OTHMAN (KL)
5. * MUHAMAD SHAFIE B. SAHROM (PDRM)
6. MUHAMMAD RAZIE B. ABDUL RAHIM (PDRM)
7. MUHAMMAD MARHAN B. MOHD JALIL (NS)
8. MUHAMMAD NAJMI FARIZAL B. JAZLAN (PER)
9. SYED MOHAMAD SYAFIQ B. SYED CHOLAN (PRK)
10. MUHAMMAD NAJIB B. ABU HASSAN (PRK)
11. * SYARMAN B. MAT TEE (TRG)
12. MUHAMMAD ARIF SYAFIE B. ISHAK (PAH)
13. * MUHAMMAD AZRI B. HASSAN (PP)
14. * ZULPIDAUS B. MIZUN (KL)
15. MUHAMMAD AMIROL AIDEED B. MOHD ARSHAD
16. MUHAMMAD AMINUDDIN B. MOHD ZAIN
17. FAIZ HELMI B. JALI (JOH)
18. MEOR MUHAMMAD AZUAN B. HASSAN (PRK)
19. MOHAMAD ASHRAN B. HAMSANI (PRK)
20. NIK MUHAMMAD AIMAN B. NIK ROZEMI (TRG)
21. * MUHAMMAD FAKHRI ARDILLAH B. ABDULLAH (TRG)
22. * MOHD FITRI B. SAARI (TRG)
23. MUHAMMAD HAFIZ B. ZAINOL (PAH)
24. SHELLO SILVERIUS (SAB)
25. NORSYAFIQ B. SUMANTRI (KL)
26. * MUHAMAD RAMADAN B. ROSLI (KL)
27. * PAVANDIP SINGH GURDIP SINGH (KL)
28. * HARVINDER SINGH MAKBUL SINGH (KL)
29. MOHD FAID FARHAD MOHAMAD SHAH
30. TENGKU AHMAD TAJUDDIN B. TENGKU ABDUL JALIL (PER)
31. MUHAMMAD HAZIQ B. SAMSUL (PRK)
32. MUHAMMAD AZRAI AIZAD B. ABU KAMAL (PRK)
33. * FAIZAL B. SAARI (TRG)
34. MUHAMMAD NOR FIRDAUS B. ROSDI (PAH)
35. * SYAMIL AZIM B. DZULKAFLY (SEL)
36. MUHAMMAD SHAHRIL B. SAABAH (KL)
37. * NUR RAHUL HRISIKESA B. MOHD MURNI TATCHANA (NS)
38. MUHAMMAD FIRHAN B. ASHAARI
* New faces n recall to national team
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